Down economy drives down traffic

It's a thought that's crossed my mind once or twice during my daily commute from Seattle to Tacoma, but now I have some actual proof that the down economy is contributing to driving down traffic in the Seattle Metro Area. Kirkland, Washington-based Inrix claims the Seattle area saw a 28 percent drop in traffic congestion over the last year ranking 9th in the country overall. The report also says the United States as a whole saw a traffic decrease in 2008 from 2007 and blames two factors -- fuel price volatility and rising unemployment. On average, Inrix found Americans spent 13 fewer hours struck in traffic last year. And get this, Inrix claims Detroit say a whopping nearly 47 percent drop in traffic congestion last year alone!

Inrix made the findings based on GPS-enabled vehicles, road sensors and other methods to gather traffic information on the nation's roadways. The company spun out of Microsoft Research and claims to be the "leading innovator of real-time, historical and predictive traffic information, offering the broadest coverage, exceptional accuracy and innovative technologies to ensure the success of our customers’ navigation and traffic-enabled solutions."

Before we all jump up and collectively do the no traffic dance, a point to consider as pointed out by Inrix's CEO Bryan Mistele, "While less traffic is generally good news, the causes of it aren't necessarily something to celebrate. Traffic congestion is an excellent indicator of trends, telling us whether businesses are shipping products, whether people are going to work, and whether shoppers are going to the mall."

Downer or not, I'm enjoying smooth sailing for the time being.



-posted by Andrew